Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

While individual core movements are bodyweight and accessible, the ladder format (down and up) creates significant cumulative fatigue. The continuous nature with no built-in rest periods means the core never fully recovers between exercises. The 30-second planks between each movement become increasingly challenging as fatigue builds. The time cap creates urgency, preventing strategic rest breaks.

Benchmark Times for (Home)WORK #42

• Elite: <7:00
• Advanced: 8:00-9:00
• Intermediate: 10:00-11:00
• Beginner: >19:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (8/10): High volume of core exercises with minimal rest tests muscular endurance significantly. The ladder format and repeat structure amplifies the stamina demand.
• Speed (6/10): Quick transitions between movements and maintaining steady pace through the ladder format is important for beating the time cap.
• Endurance (5/10): The 20-minute time cap and continuous nature of core movements creates moderate cardiovascular demand, though not as intense as pure cardio workouts.
• Flexibility (4/10): V-ups and leg raises require decent hip flexibility and core control. Most movements need moderate mobility in the trunk and hips.
• Strength (2/10): Bodyweight core movements require minimal absolute strength, focusing instead on control and endurance of the trunk muscles.
• Power (1/10): Movements are controlled and deliberate rather than explosive. Focus is on stability and endurance rather than power output.

Movements

• Plank
• Bicycle Crunch
• Flutter Kick
• V-Up

Scaling Options

Reduce total volume by doing single ladder (down only) or capping rounds at 30 reps. Modify movements: Planks from knees, bent-leg raises, crunch variations instead of v-ups, shorter plank holds (20s). For flutter kicks and bicycle crunches, reduce range of motion or add support under lower back. Scale hip dips by reducing rotation range. Consider extending time cap to 25 minutes for scaled versions.

Scaling Explanation

Scale if unable to maintain hollow body position for >30s, if experiencing lower back pain, or if core movements cause neck strain. Focus on quality positions over speed - each rep should show full control and engagement. Athletes should feel primarily core fatigue, not lower back stress. Target completion time 12-18 minutes with consistent movement quality throughout. Scale to maintain intensity while building proper movement patterns.

Intended Stimulus

Moderate-length glycolytic/oxidative workout (12-18 minutes) focused on core endurance and midline stability. The descending-ascending ladder format creates metabolic stress while testing muscular endurance. Primary challenge is maintaining core engagement and proper positioning through accumulated fatigue.

Coach Insight

Break up bicycle crunches and flutter kicks into manageable sets (20-30 reps) early to avoid form breakdown. Maintain hollow body position throughout - ribs down, low back pressed to floor. During planks, focus on full-body tension - squeeze glutes, quads engaged, shoulders active. For v-ups, prioritize controlled negatives over speed. Common failure points are losing midline stability in planks and rushing through reps with poor range of motion. Consider 3-5 breaths between movements to reset position.

Benchmark Notes

This is a core-focused chipper with a down-and-up ladder structure. Most similar to Annie (50-40-30-20-10 double-unders + sit-ups) in terms of movement patterns and volume. Breakdown: - Planks: 5x30s = 150s total plank hold - Movement reps down: 60+50+40+30+20 = 200 reps - Movement reps up: 20+30+40+50+60 = 200 reps - Total movement reps: 400 reps Movement timing: - Bicycle crunches: 1s/rep - Flutter kicks: 1s/rep - Leg raises: 1.5s/rep - Plank hip dips: 1.5s/rep - V-ups: 2s/rep Fatigue considerations: - First half: minimal fatigue (1.0x) - Middle section: moderate fatigue (1.2x) - Final third: significant core fatigue (1.3x) Base calculation: - Plank time: 150s - Movement time: ~600s fresh state - Transitions: ~60s total - Fatigue multiplier: average 1.2x Comparing to Annie benchmark: Annie L10: 300-360s Annie L5: 480-600s Annie L1: 780-960s This workout has approximately 1.5x the volume of Annie with more sustained core engagement. Scaling up Annie's benchmarks by 40% with additional time for planks. Final targets: L10: 420-480s (7:00-8:00) L5: 600-660s (10:00-11:00) L1: 1080-1140s (18:00-19:00) No gender-specific scaling needed as movements are bodyweight.

Modality Profile

All movements (Plank, Bicycle Crunch, Flutter Kick, Leg Raise, Plank Hip Dip, V-Up) are bodyweight/gymnastics movements requiring no external load or cyclical cardio. This makes the workout 100% gymnastics-based.